Cars with alternative power, and plenty of it

Vineyard residents curious about the electric vehicles on the market got a chance to test drive some of the latest models on National Electric Car Plug In day, held Saturday, September 28, in Vineyard Haven.

Vineyard Power coordinated the local community event, at the plug-in stations in the Cronig’s Market parking lot on State Road.

“I used to spend over $100 a week on gas,” said Nick Catt, who purchased a Toyota Prius Plug In model in February,and has logged nearly 14,000 miles already. “Now I spend $33, every fill up, every week, week and a half, and I pay the difference to Toyota for the car, instead of paying the gas station.”

Also on display were a Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, but the the vehicle that drew the most attention was the Tesla.

Don Keller was impressed after returning from a short test drive in a Tesla Motors electric vehicle. Depending on the model, the vehicle’s price tag ranges from $63,000 to $100,000 according to Kelly Blue Book, a price guide used in the automotive industry. Mr. Keller snapped his fingers as he described the acceleration.

“It was 65 (mph) like that,” Mr. Keller said. “I stepped on the gas, my girlfriend screamed, and I was ‘oh, my, God.'”

Tesla Motors brought two cars to the Island for the event, but representatives of the company refused to be interviewed by The Times, and they asked a photographer not to shoot video or photographs of the vehicles. The representatives said they were not authorized to speak for the company.

In case you missed the event, click on the video above for a virtual test ride.